Rainier or Renier ( it, Ranieri; c. 1084 – May 1135), son of

William IV, Marquis of Montferrat William IV (c. 1030 – 1100) was the fifth Marquis of Montferrat from 1084. The date of William's birth is unknown, but it most likely took place between 1030 and 1035. He was the eldest son of Otto II and Constance of Savoy. Life He first ...

, was the sixth ruler of the state of

Montferrat Montferrat (, ; it, Monferrato ; pms, Monfrà , locally ; la, Mons Ferratus) is part of the region of Piedmont in northern Italy. It comprises roughly (and its extent has varied over time) the modern provinces of Alessandria and Asti. Mo ...

in north-west

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

from about 1100 to his death, and the first such to be identified in contemporary documents as Margrave of Montferrat.

Life

Renier was a powerful lord in his own time, appearing extensively in the contemporary documentation. With him the

Aleramici The House of Aleramici were a medieval Italian noble family of Frankish origin which ruled various northwestern counties and marches, in Piedmont and Liguria from the tenth to the 14th centuries. History The founder of the family was William I of ...

of Montferrat first begin to throw off the shroud of obscurity and demonstrate a degree of influence in Italian politics. The beginning of his reign, nevertheless, is not clearly known, as he first appears in a document of 23 March 1111 as ''Raynerius de Monteferrato marchio''. He appears with this same title years later in 1126 and 1133 when, with other members of his family, he founded the

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

monastery of

Santa Maria di Lucedio Lucedio Abbey (Italian: ''Abbazia di Santa Maria di Lucedio'') is a 12th-century former Cistercian foundation near Trino, which is now in the province of Vercelli, north-west Italy. It played an important role in the development of rice producti ...

near

Trino Trino ( pms, Trin) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Vercelli in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about southwest of Vercelli, at the foot of the Montferrat hills. Trino borders the following mun ...

. Around the time of his appearance in the pages of history, c. 1111, Renier was a follower of the

Emperor Henry V Henry V (german: Heinrich V.; probably 11 August 1081 or 1086 – 23 May 1125, in Utrecht) was King of Germany (from 1099 to 1125) and Holy Roman Emperor (from 1111 to 1125), as the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. He was made co-ru ...

. In that year he obtained an imperial concession for the citizens of

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

: a diploma regarding the

Via Francigena The Via Francigena () is an ancient road and pilgrimage route running from the cathedral city of Canterbury in England, through France and Switzerland, to Rome and then to Apulia, Italy, where there were ports of embarkation for the Holy Land. It w ...

which passed through the town. Also that year, with his cousin Oberto I of Occimiano, he donated to the Chapter of

Saint Evasius Saint Evasius ( it, Sant'Evasio; probably third century AD) is believed to have been a missionary and bishop of Asti, in north-west Italy. He was forced to flee to the great Padan forest known as the Selva Cornea, where he and numerous followers ...

of Casale the church of San Martino di Zenzano ''infra castrum Aucimianum'' (in the castle of

Occimiano Occimiano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about northwest of Alessandria. Occimiano borders the following municipalities: Borgo San Martino, Casale M ...

). That this act took place in Occimiano testifies to the importance of that locality, which had in the past been the seat of kings. In 1113, Renier donated his portion of the Langiano to the monastery of San Secondo di Terra Rossa, affiliated with the

Abbey of Fruttuaria 300px, Bell tower of the abbey. Fruttuaria is an abbey in the territory of San Benigno Canavese, about twenty kilometers north of Turin, northern Italy. History The abbey was founded by Guglielmo da Volpiano. The first stone was laid 23 February ...

. On 23 May 1116, Renier was present with the Emperor when the latter bestowed the castles of

Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about 71,000. Celle is the southern gateway to the Lü ...

, Frassinello,

Fubine Fubine Monferrato (Fibin-ni in local dialect) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about northwest of Alessandria. Fubine Monferrato borders the following m ...

, and Cuccaro on his nephew Conrad and Guido Cane.

Family

In 1105, Renier married Gisela, daughter of

William I, Count of Burgundy William I (1020 – 12 November 1087), called the Great (''le Grand'' or ''Tête Hardie'', "the Stubborn"), was Count of Burgundy from 1057 to 1087 and Mâcon from 1078 to 1087. He was a son of Renaud I and Alice of Normandy, daughter of Richar ...

, already the widow of

Humbert II of Savoy Humbert II (Italian: ''Umberto II''), nicknamed the Fat (1065, Carignano, Piedmont – 19 October 1103C.W. Previte-Orton, ''The Early History of the House of Savoy'', (Cambridge University Press, 1912), 276–277.), was Count of Savoy from 1080 ...

and mother of

Adelaide of Maurienne Adelaide of Maurienne, also called Alix or Adele (1092 – 18 November 1154) was Queen of France as the second wife of King Louis VI (1115-1137). Family Adelaide was the daughter of Count Humbert II of Savoy and Gisela of Burgundy. Adelaide's olde ...

, who, in 1115, became the second queen of

Louis VI of France Louis VI (late 1081 – 1 August 1137), called the Fat (french: link=no, le Gros) or the Fighter (french: link=no, le Batailleur), was King of the Franks from 1108 to 1137. Chronicles called him "King of Saint-Denis". Louis was the first member ...

. She and Renier had three or four daughters: *

Joanna Joanna is a feminine given name deriving from from he, יוֹחָנָה, translit=Yôḥānāh, lit=God is gracious. Variants in English include Joan (given name), Joan, Joann, Joanne (given name), Joanne, and Johanna. Other forms of the name in ...

, who married

William Clito William Clito (25 October 110228 July 1128) was a member of the House of Normandy who ruled the County of Flanders from 1127 until his death and unsuccessfully claimed the Duchy of Normandy. As the son of Robert Curthose, the eldest son of William ...

Count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the co ...

, in 1127, and was widowed a year later''Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Herausgegeben von Detlev Schwennicke (Marburg, Germany: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafeln 81, 200 *Matilda, who married Alberto Zueta, Margrave of Parodi *Adelasia, who became a nun * one possibly named Isabella, who married Guido, Count of Biandrate (although it is possible that this may be a second marriage of Joanna) They also had a son,

William V William V may refer to: *William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969–1030) *William V of Montpellier (1075–1121) *William V, Marquess of Montferrat (1191) *William V, Count of Nevers (before 11751181) *William V, Duke of Jülich (1299–1361) *William V, ...

, who succeeded to the march.

References

Sources

* Usseglio, Leopoldo. ''I Marchesi di Monferrato in Italia ed in Oriente durante i secoli XII e XIII''. 1926.
‘Ranieri’
freely adapted by Roberto Maestri from Aldo di Ricaldone, ''Annali del Monferrato (951–1708)'', and published online by the ''circolo culturale'' I Marchesi del Monferrato. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rainier of Montferrat 1080s births 1135 deaths 12th-century Italian nobility Marquesses of Montferrat Aleramici Lucedio Abbey